Giridih district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India, and Giridih is the administrative headquarters of this district. As of 2011 it is the third most populous district of Jharkhand (out of 24), after Ranchi and Dhanbad.[1]

Giridih district
Shikharji on Parasnath Hills
Location of Giridih district in Jharkhand
Location of Giridih district in Jharkhand
Country India
State Jharkhand
DivisionNorth Chotanagpur
HeadquartersGiridih
Government
 • Deputy CommissionerMr. Naman Priyesh Lakra (IAS)
 • Lok Sabha constituencies1. Kodarma, 2. Giridih
 • Vidhan Sabha constituencies6
Area
 • Total
4,962 km2 (1,916 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
2,445,474[1]
 • Urban
06.41
Demographics
 • Literacy63.14 per cent[1][2]
 • Sex ratio940
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
Websitegiridih.nic.in

History

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Giridh district was a part of Kharagdiha estate till late 18th century. During the British Raj Giridih became a part of Jungle Terry. After Kol Uprising in 1831, the parganas of Ramgarh, Kharagdiha, Kendi and Kunda became parts of the South-West Frontier Agency and were formed into a division named Hazaribag as the administrative headquarters. The Kharagdiha Rajas were settled as Rajas of Raj Dhanwar in 1809, and the Kharagdiha gadis were separately settled as zamindari estates. Some of the notable Kharagdiha Zamindari estates were Koderma, Gadi Palganj, Ledo Gadi, Gande Gadi, Ghoranji Gadi and Gadi Sirsia.[3] Giridih district was created on 6 December 1972 by carving some parts of Hazaribagh district. In 1999 part of it became Bokaro district.[4]

It is currently a part of the Red Corridor.[5] The 15,000-capacity football and cricket stadium named Giridih Stadium is the largest sports venue by capacity in the region. It is located in the town of Mahthadih.

Geography

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The district, covering an area of around 4854 km², is bounded on the north by Jamui district and Nawada district of Bihar state, on the east by the districts of Deoghar and Jamtara, on the south by Dhanbad and Bokaro, and on the west by Hazaribagh and Koderma districts.

Giridih has an average elevation of 289 metres (948 feet). Śrī Sammeta Shikharji also known as the Parasnath Hills,it is one of the holiest place of Jainism, located in Giridih is the highest mountain peak in Jharkhand. It is a conical granite peak located 4,477 feet (1,382 metres) above the sea level.[6][7]

Gawan and Tisari blocks of the district have several mica mines, and coal is found abundantly at several places throughout the district.[7]

Parasnath Hills are located in the district. There are two major rivers, namely, the Barakar River and the Sakri River. Barakar River passes through Birni and Pirtand blocks. Sakari river drains the areas of Deori and Gawan blocks. There are several smaller rivers, including Usri, with a major tourist attraction - Usri Falls.

Administration

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Subdivisions

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Following are the four subdivision of the district:[8]

  1. Giridih subdivision
  2. Bagodar-Sariya subdivision
  3. Khorimahua subdivision
  4. Dumri subdivision


Blocks

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Giridih district comprises the following 13 blocks:

Economy

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In 2006 the Indian government named Giridh one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).[9] It is one of the 21 districts in Jharkhand currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).[9]

The DDP of Giridih District is ₹1,97,771(2003-04) and Income Per Capita is ₹9921(2003-04).

Divisions

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There are six Vidhan Sabha (legislative assembly) constituencies in this district. Dhanwar, Bagodar, Jamua and Gandey assembly constituencies are part of Kodarma constituency. Giridih and Dumri assembly constituencies are part of Giridih constituency.[10]

Demographics

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901375,866—    
1911411,172+0.90%
1921407,450−0.09%
1931484,161+1.74%
1941558,821+1.44%
1951618,129+1.01%
1961747,946+1.92%
1971937,092+2.28%
19811,161,066+2.17%
19911,496,878+2.57%
20011,905,343+2.44%
20112,445,474+2.53%
source:[11]
Religions in Giridih district (2011)[12]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
75.90%
Islam
20.80%
Sarna
2.42%
Christianity
0.60%
Other or not stated
0.28%

According to the 2011 census Giridih district has a population of 2,445,474[1] roughly equal to the nation of Kuwait[13] or the US state of New Mexico.[14] This gives it a ranking of 182nd in India (out of a total of 640).[1] The district has a population density of 497 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,290/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 28.33%. Giridih has a sex ratio of 943 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 63.14%. 8.51% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 13.31% and 9.74% of the population respectively.[1]

Languages of Giridih district (2011)[15]

  Khortha (68.7%)
  Hindi (13.55%)
  Santali (8.99%)
  Urdu (7.47%)
  Others (1.29%)

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 68.71% of the population in the district spoke Khortha, 13.55% Hindi, 8.99% Santali and 7.47% Urdu as their first language.[15]

Khortha, a blend of Magahi and Hindi with little connection to Bengali, is the main language spoken in Giridih district. The tribal people speak Santhali.

Flora and fauna

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The district has rich forest resources and have several jungles of sal trees and bamboos, and a variety of other indigenous trees. Among other common trees are bamboo, semal, Mahua, palash, kusum, kend, Asian pear and bhelwa.[7] Parasnath hills have a number of plants having medicinal use. Leopards, bears, jackals, wild pigs, and hares are the wild animals found in certain parts of the district which have thick forests.

Politics

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District No. Constituency Name Party Alliance Remarks
Giridih 28 Dhanwar Babulal Marandi Bharatiya Janata Party NDA JVM (P) merged into BJP[16]
29 Bagodar Vinod Kumar Singh Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation Mahagathbandhan (Jharkhand)
30 Jamua Kedar Hazra Bharatiya Janata Party NDA
31 Gandey Sarfaraz Ahmad Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Mahagathbandhan (Jharkhand) Resigned on 1 January 2024[17]
Kalpana Soren Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Mahagathbandhan (Jharkhand) Won in 2024 Bypoll[18]
32 Giridih Sudivya Kumar Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Mahagathbandhan (Jharkhand)
33 Dumri Jagarnath Mahto Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Mahagathbandhan (Jharkhand) Died on 6 April 2023[19]
Baby Devi Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Mahagathbandhan (Jharkhand) Won in 2023 Bypoll

Tourism

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "District Census Handbook: Giridih" (PDF). censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  2. ^ "District-specific Literates and Literacy Rates, 2001". Registrar General, India, Ministry of Home Affairs. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
  3. ^ Hazaribagh District Gazetteer.
  4. ^ Law, Gwillim (2011-09-25). "Districts of India". Statoids. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  5. ^ "83 districts under the Security Related Expenditure Scheme". IntelliBriefs. 2009-12-11. Archived from the original on 2011-10-27. Retrieved 2011-09-17.
  6. ^ "Jharkhand". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  7. ^ a b c "Official website of the Giridih district". Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  8. ^ "Giridih". Blocks. District Administration, Giridih. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  9. ^ a b Ministry of Panchayati Raj (September 8, 2009). "A Note on the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme" (PDF). National Institute of Rural Development. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 5, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  10. ^ "Election". Giridih district website. Archived from the original on 2009-06-19.
  11. ^ "Table A-02 Decadal Variation in Population Since 1901: Jharkhand" (PDF). census.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
  12. ^ "Table C-01 Population By Religion: Jharkhand". census.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
  13. ^ US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-10-01. Kuwait 2,595,62
  14. ^ "2010 Resident Population Data". U. S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2011-09-30. New Mexico - 2,059,179
  15. ^ a b "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Jharkhand". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
  16. ^ "Babulal Marandi announces merger of JVM(P) and BJP on Feb. 17". The Hindu. 2020-06-09. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  17. ^ "Jharkhand's JMM MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad resigns from assembly". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
  18. ^ The Hindu (4 June 2024). "Jailed Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana wins Gandey bypoll". Archived from the original on 4 June 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  19. ^ "Jharkhand minister Jagarnath Mahto dies at Chennai hospital". The Times of India. 2023-04-06. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
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24°10′48″N 86°19′12″E / 24.18000°N 86.32000°E / 24.18000; 86.32000